1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for providing suggestive messages to a user based upon an activity the user is or is about to be engaged in, and more particularly, to systems and methods for delivering real time activity based suggestive (ABS) messages (e.g., motivational messages, etc.) to users by way of personal electronic devices (PEDs), such as a wireless telephone, smartphone, MP3 player, radio, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known that human beings are by their very nature capable of achieving great things when possessed of the right state of mind or the ability to react to circumstances while engaged in certain activities, such as sports. For example, professional athletes often engage in mind-based exercises in which they are instructed to envision success relative to particular endeavor or event. Olympic downhill skiers are often trained to mentally prepare for a sporting event by first learning a mountain course and then rehearsing their performance relative to that that course in their minds. As such, success or failure often will be attributed to one's mental strength relative to a particular field of endeavor.
Take sales personnel, for example. Companies and organizations have long believed that the power of positive thinking is often the key to sales success. Each year organizations spend significant resources internally and for outside professional coaching services by recognized experts to mentally prepare sales personnel and to produce “winners”—sales people that are mentally prepared to realize a relatively greater number of sales and gains.
While many skeptics have said that positive thinking and sales and other performance success are merely coincidences, the power of positive thinking cannot be underestimated as a tool that everyday people can and should use to better their lives. For example, many people endlessly (and unnecessarily) seek the advice and care of medical practitioners often to “fix” problems that can be solved through simple positive thinking. We have all heard the stories of cancer patients that have long outlived prognoses for short life expectancies as a result of familial support and simple positive thinking wherein one can convince oneself that he or she can truly overcome particular obstacles and live stronger and healthier.
Despite the benefits that have long been attributed to positive thinking, there remain no truly effective way of delivering coaching and other messages to people outside of requiring people to read books by gurus, attend seminars, and the like. Aside from horoscopes and machines that may deliver the same such as in vending and entertainment machine contexts, there remains no effective way for people to receive suggestive and other motivational type coaching messages that are easily obtained and perceived.
U.S. patent application 2003/0058752 filed by Bimbach et al., which is incorporated herein by reference, describes an apparatus and method for delivering psycho-suggestive messages in a PED. However, this apparatus is very rudimentary and not user friendly.
Thus, there exists a need to provide new and improved systems and methods that facilitate user friendly delivery of ABS messages that people can obtain to aid them in thinking more positively about their personnel challenges and about their personal circumstances.